I Fight for Japan
by emrys-ite
Summary: In a fluke, Lelouch never made it onto the terrorist's truck in the first episode. Suzaku, however, recovers the "poison gas", and just as he is about to die, he receives a Geass from C.C. What will Suzaku do with his new power? What will happen to Japan?
1. Chapter One

**Me: Hi everyone! Thanks for starting to read this fic. I'll be here if you have any questions.**

**Suzaku: So why am I here?  
Me: Because, you can run on walls and dodge bullets,**

**Suzaku: That's not related to anything.**

**Me: Okay, fine. You're here to stand next to me and look awesome.**

**Suzaku: Lelouch could do that.  
Me: Yeah, but ****I am a ninja with swords**** already took him. So I took you.**

**Suzaku: Great. How will I ever explain this to Lloyd…**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fics about it, would I? No. I would be putting out episodes.**

**Notes: This story is going to be mostly AU, but I'm going to try and possibly fit in some of my favorite scenes. Also, you might recognize some scenes in here with incorrect dialogue. I know that it's not exactly the same as the episodes, but unfortunately, I'm too lazy to go on YouTube and watch the episode again. Sorry. (plus, some stuff might just be for a dramatic flair of sorts)**

Lelouch Lamperouge had just won his 98th chess game of the year, and oddly enough, he was not pondering his winnings, but rather the number of times that he had won. _98, _he thought._ How ironic. _After a moment though, his expression changed. _How dreadful._

A usual man would be gloating over the luck bestowed on him that had allowed him to beat one of the most renowned chess players in all of Area 11. But Lelouch (as we all should know), was no ordinary man. The noble, who was now left flabbergasted in his heavily furnished office, had not presented a challenge in the least for the Britannian schoolboy.

Rivalz (as per usual) was chattering away about Lelouch's latest triumph as they exited the elevator. "Eight minutes and thirty seconds? That has to be a record. The setup was impossible!"

Lelouch showed no emotion, pride or otherwise. "The noble was overconfident. Also, he only had twenty seconds to make his moves as well."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. At least the nobles pay up pretty well. You should play an Eleven sometime…"

Rivalz voice faded into the background as the pair exited the building. Lelouch squinted into the bright sunlight at the Britannian settlement. Sunlight gleamed off of every reflective surface. The settlement was a thing of wonder. However, if one looked of into the hazy distance, they would the ghetto where the oppressed Japanese people were forced to live their lives.

But Lelouch was focused on neither settlement nor ghetto. His eyes gazed pointedly at a large television screen mounted on the side of a building. Prince Clovis la Britannia's fine tuned face was shown as he began speaking with great emotion, which was obviously fake, at least to Lelouch's eye.

After a moment of listening, Lelouch's eyes narrowed and he turned away. As he began walking to the bike, Rivalz followed silently as he listened to the Viceroy's speech. Secretly, Lelouch was listening too. It had become a sort of hobby of his to keep tabs on his siblings; it gave him something interesting to do.

After a moment. Clovis quieted, observing a moment of silence for the "Britannian martyrs" who had died in the terrorist attack.

"You're not going to do it, are you?" asked Rivalz as he pulled on his helmet and stepped one leg onto his bike.

"No," said Lelouch as he folded his lanky frame into the sidecar. "Doing so will not bring back those who have died."

As soon as the pair had situated themselves, Rivalz gunned the throttle and they sped off. They made small talk as they rode, but neither of them was much into it. Each sat thinking about the trials and tribulations of his own life.

_Nunnally, _Lelouch thought. _I know that she's about as safe as she can be at Ashford, but what if someone eventually recognizes her? What if someone recognizes me? I don't want to become a pawn again like seven years ago._

_ Milly, _Rivalz thought. _God, that girl is beautiful. If only she would acknowledge me as something more than a friend…_

Obviously, one of the boy's matters were much more serious than the other's.

Suddenly, a large truck pulled up behind the bike, looming over the motorcycle in a monstrous manner. "Ahh!" Rivalz screamed as the truck honked its horn, once, twice, three times. It tried to push them to go faster, but Rivalz gave out and swerved over to the edge of the overpass. The truck, seeing an apparently faster route, careened off an exit ramp and into a construction zone.

Both boys peered over the edge of the overpass. "Eh, that wasn't our fault, was it?" Rivalz nervously rubbed the back of his head. However, Lelouch wasn't listening, instead staring at the billowing dust clouds and debris below. Almost in a trance, he began running faster than one would believe for a schoolboy as out of shape as him toward the truck.

"Lelouch! Lelouch!" Rivalz called out after realizing his companion was halfway down the ramp. "We're going to be late to class!"

Lelouch ignored him, and slowed to a jog as he reached the truck. He searched methodically for a door to the cabin, banging on the wall of the vehicle and yelling, "Hey! Are you okay? Hello?"

Inside said vehicle, the driver coughed, his blue hair shaking slightly. He glanced at his companion, caught her eye, and smiled. "Hold on, Kallen." He said a fraction of a second before he stomped on the gas pedal.

Before the Lelouch could realize what was happening, the truck was speeding off into the rubble. Lelouch blinked. Why would they be running away instead of waiting for assistance? That must mean… A smile crept onto his face. They were terrorists. Most likely they had something they considered vital to the rebellion in that vehicle, possibly a Knightmare Frame. It was definitely something large. Could it have been…

No. It was highly unlikely that this would be related to Clovis's pet project. But there was always a chance. Lelouch had been curious as to what Clovis had been researching for the past few months, rudely neglecting his duties as Viceroy. There was a good chance that this had nothing to with it, but out of sheer curiousity, he wanted to run after the truck. Should he? Was it worth the possible disappointment?

After a moment, he took off running.

"Squadron A, cover the ground."

"Yes sir!"

"Squadron B, cover all buildings and warehouses."

"Yes sir!"

"Squadron C, cover underground subways and tunnels."

"Yes sir!"

"Special Squadron, you're with me."

"Understood, sir!"

"Disband!"

Suzaku Kururugi, Private and Honorary Britannian, slipped on his soldier's helmet, listening for the pneumatic hiss to ensure that it was secure. He checked his suit, making sure that all of the hardened parts had interlocked together, making its protection the most effective.

After he was completely sure that his equipment was functioning, he ran off after the rest of his group, who were stopped near the entrance to the subways. Their squadron leader was at the front, barking out orders.

"DeMille and Ranges, you're with me. We'll be covering the far east side of the tunnels. Owens, Marcus, and Stone, you're a group. You'll be covering the central east part of the tunnels. Carter, Fournier, and Jackson, cover the central west." He turned to Suzaku. "Sorry, Kururugi," he sneered. He hated Suzaku, as he was the only Honorary Britannian in the squadron. "You're all alone. Cover far west."

"Yes, sir." Suzaku said obediently. It was best to try and stay on good terms with the higher-ups, even if you had never been on good terms to begin with. Talking back just made everything all the worse. Plus, if he put as much as a single toe out of line, he would be booted out of the military faster than he could say 'Honorary Britannian'.

He separated from his squadron and began jogging to the west entrance. Truthfully, he enjoyed working alone. He hadn't come to meet one officer or soldier in the military who actually had any respect for the Japanese, Honorary Britannian or otherwise. When forced to work with the others, he was forced to endure their constant taunts and jeers that prevented him from getting the job done. And always, always, always, it was blamed on him.

He put those thoughts out of his head and concentrated on the mission. The general in command of their force had given them the information that the terrorists had stolen a container full of deadly poison gas. Their task was to search for the container, and call for backup when it was found.

Suzaku descended into the damp tunnels of the abandoned subway line. The place was dreary, and most of the walls were exactly the same. It was almost impossible to find landmarks of any sort. Nevertheless, he pushed on, scanning the ground and walls for any clues as to where the canister may be.

As he continued walking, something caught his eye. Was it… a tire track? More like a skid mark of some sort. He ran down farther, and some grey paint scraped onto the wall caught his soldier's eye almost immediately.

He was on the right track, both literally and metaphorically.

Now that he was so close to finding the truck and gas, he became excited and sped up from a walk to a job. The thrill of working on completing a task never failed to make his heart pump, his blood race. Something as serious as this only added to the effect. His people's lives were on the line.

No, wait. The Japanese people weren't his people anymore. No longer was he Suzaku Kururugi, son of Prime Minister Kururugi. He was now Suzaku Kururugi, Private in the army and Honorary Britannnian.

Part of him missed being Japanese. He missed the early morning wakeups to go and practice martial arts at the dojo, the refreshing isolation of his private shack, and most of all, and the pride of being the Prime Minister's son. Japan was still a part of him, whether he liked it or not.

His helmet swiveled as he panned the wide tunnel for any sign of the targeted vehicle. The grainy feed in his helmet was dreadful, but it allowed him to see in the darkness. Truly, he wasn't sure that it was too dark to see with the naked eye in the tunnel, so he kept the helmet on just in case.

After a moment, he finally spotted it. The vehicle, a large transport truck, was tipped into a hole that had opened in the tunnel's floor. It was immoibilzed; in other words, trapped.

Suzaku ran to the front to try and get a better view so the general and squadron leader would realize that he had spotted the target. After he was sure that he had gotten a clear shot, he slowly walked forward, curious as to what kind of container would hold poison gas. A large sphere sat in the center of the truck, with what look like a type of pumps protruding out. It was quite interesting, in fact.

In the silence of the tunnel, Suzaku heard a loud groan. Of course! Someone had to drive the truck. His orders included detaining any terrorists for interrogation. He had to make sure that the man didn't escape.

Suzaku ran towards the cabin of the vehicle, and tried to throw open the passenger door. Much to his chagrin, it had become jammed in the various beatings the truck had taken that day. The driver's door was inaccessible, so that left coming in from the transport area itself. As he clambered into the area, and began beating on the door, his arm brushed a nearly invisible button on the mysterious canister.

A pneumatic hiss escaped from the mechanism. Suzaku threw himself to the ground out of instinct, though he knew that it wouldn't help if the gas had been released. As he dared to look up, he didn't see any smoke or haze in the air. Instead, he saw the most unusual girl that he had ever laid eyes on.

Her hair was long and green, and it floated around her as she threw her head back. Her face was perfectly unscathed, though it showed that much had happened in this girl's past. Her eyes were closed, and with her expression, she looked quite delicate. Later, or course, Suzaku would find that "delicate" was definitely not a word that could be used to describe this girl.

As soon as she had completed her motion, she fell back into the canister. Suzaku peered over the edge, and realized that her arms were bound to her chest; the sleeves of her jumpsuit were strapped so she couldn't take her hands out, and her legs were bound in three different places.

As he stared at the sight before him, Suzaku had only one thought running through his mind.

_Who is she?_

**Me: Eh heh… sorry for making that so dramatic. My bad.**

**Suzaku: Come on. "Japan was still a part of him, whether he liked it or not." Really?**

**Me: Get off me. I needed to fill in something there.**

**Suzaku: Right.**

**Me: Okay, just ignore him. Hey, if you're logged in (or even if you're not) please review! I'll take anything you say, and I LOVE criticism! Thanks for reading this!**

**R&R?**


	2. Chapter Two

**Me: I'm baaaaaaaaaaack! **

**Suzaku: I wish that other people besides you could come back. There are some that I wish….**

**Me: Oh, get off of it. You're just depressed because we watched "At Least With Sorrow".**

**Suzaku: Look, you would be pretty depressed too if you were me. That's a very emotional episode. I just-**

**Me: *covers Suzaku's mouth* Okay, no spoilers! I suppose you do have a point though.**

**Suzaku: Yes, I generally do make one once and a while.**

**Me: Surprises, surprises…**

**Thanks for all of the reviews! I was ecstatic when I saw that I had some. Thanks a bunch! I'm just going to reply to an anonymous one here.**

**gaby: No, Suzaku will not have the same Geass as Lelouch. He's going to have something completely different. I'm not positive what it's going to be, but I should have it figured out by the end of this chapter. Possibly in the next chapter, it depends on how this one ends up being written.**

**Note: In the contract, **_**bold and italics**_ **is C.C. talking. **_Just italics_** is Suzaku.**

**Thanks, read on!**

Lelouch ran as fast as he could, which truthfully wasn't all that fast. After possibly a minute or two, his legs ached, and his breath came in short pants. He bent over for a moment to catch his breath, and then stood up. As soon as he did, his eyes met those of Elevens. Some were simply curious about the presence of a Britannian schoolboy in the ghetto, others had a murderous look to them as if they wanted to hold a knife to his throat.

It was a tense situation, and for a moment Lelouch was unsure of what to do. After considering his options, he plowed through the crowd that had gathered around him and continued following his target. Well, now it wasn't so much following as it was searching. His respite had caused him to lose the truck's trail, so he wasn't sure where it had ended up.

As he slowed his pace to a walk, he silently cursed himself for going on this goose chase. There was little to no chance that the transport vehicle held what he was searching for, but the curious and mischievous side of him hadn't let him just let a possible opportunity run away. It went against every fiber of his being.

Then again, so did any kind of physical activity.

Lelouch wanted to bang his head against a wall. As of now, this was his situation: Firstly, he was a Britannian in the ghetto. If he did anything too rash, he'd be strung up on a flagpole. Secondly, he had absolutely no idea where he was or where he was going. To add to that, he had almost zero innate direction skills. Lastly, he was going to be late for school, which in turn meant that as soon as he returned, he'd get chewed out thoroughly by Shirley for not "applying himself".

This day was just getting better and better.

Nevertheless, he pushed on. Perseverance was one of his strong suits; once Lelouch Lamperouge had set his mind on something, it was almost impossible to sway his decision. Of course, this quality trait had gotten him into a couple of scrapes, but it had all turned out fine.

As he turned the corner into an abandoned alleyway, he spied several Britannian soldiers passing on the other side. Quickly, he ducked back into the street. If a soldier spotted him, they would take him back to Ashford Academy thinking that they were doing a good deed. But if he were taken back to school, he'd lose his chance.

Proceeding carefully, he peered back into the alley. There were no soldiers in sight, so he cut across it and walked into the next street. It was practically deserted. The Elevens generally avoided soldiers, so when they had passed by, the numbers had hidden in fear. Luckily, the soldiers had pushed onward and had left the street too. Lelouch smiled. Finally, a stroke of luck.

He ran down the street, as there was obviously no sign of the truck here. Unless, of course, the truck had magically shrunk itself down to the size of, say, an apple. But, since that defied all the laws of physics, he didn't give the street a second glance.

He continued in a hit and miss search pattern for a while. Patrolling the dilapidated ghetto, he searched for any sign of his target. But sadly, after an hour he had come up with nothing. The truck was nowhere to be found. He was about to give up and go home.

That was when he heard the gunshot.

A woman's shrill scream followed, than several more rapid gunshots. People screamed, children cried, and in a moment the eerily quiet ghetto was alive with action. Within a minute, hundreds were dead. Blood spattered the walls of buildings and alleyways; Elevens lay dead in the street.

The soldiers were massacring the Elevens. _But under whose orders? _Lelouch wondered. Who would command such a thing? It couldn't have been Clovis. Clovis may have been a bit of an airhead, but he never would order such a thing. Or would he? How well did Lelouch know his half brother?

For a moment, Lelouch stood in the street lost in thought. Only when the bullet pierced his flimsy school uniform and pain blossomed across his chest did he realize what was happening.

After several seconds, he completely blacked out.

**scenebreak-scenebreak-scenebreak-scenebreak-scenebreak-scenebreak**

Suzaku stared at the mysterious girl. _Who is she?_ He thought. _Why is she here? What did she do?_

After a moment, he snapped himself out of his reverie and began unbuckling her bindings. First, he unbuckled the strap that held her arms tight to her chest and they relaxed. After that, he quickly snapped the bindings that held her sleeves together. Finally, he began working on her legs. But just as he had firmly grasped the buckle with his shaky hand, he was interrupted by the sound of heavy footsteps.

Soldier's footsteps.

Suzaku abandoned his task and whirled around. The special squadron stood before him in all their glory. The general, smug as ever, stood at the head of the group his eyes fixed on Suzaku. "Good work, private. You seem to have recovered the target."

"Yessir," Suzaku replied and advanced forward. "But I was told this was poison gas."

"Yes, well, it is quite unfortunate that you discovered it wasn't. Sorry, Kururugi." The general smiled sadistically and reached for his gun. Out of survival instinct, so did Suzaku. But before he knew it, a soldier knocked it out of his hand and sent it skittering across the floor. Two more grabbed his arms, effectively restraining the teenage boy.

The general, who had a flair for the dramatic, cocked his handgun and kept it pointed at Suzaku. "Any last words, Kururugi?"

Suzaku opened his mouth, then swallowed hard and shook his head. He had last words, but they weren't ones for the Britannian army.

In one fleeting moment, the bullet was fired. Suzaku braced himself for death, but out of nowhere came a flying green and white blur, along with a cry of "He mustn't die!"

Then it was over. The blur crumpled into a heap on the dirty ground, and Suzaku finally realized that it was the girl he had been in the process of rescuing. She had unbound her legs herself, and had taken his bullet. Blood flowed out of a fatal chest wound, mere inches from her heart.

"No!" cried Suzaku as he fought against the soldiers that held him in place. He wasn't sure why, but this girl's death stuck a chord with him. Most likely, it had to do with fact that she had given her life for his. Of course, the fact that they were complete strangers probably had something to do with it to.

This time, the general didn't say anything. His usually smug face was twisted into a grimace (even ruthless soldiers don't enjoy killing defenseless teenagers unless they're absolutely insane), and spark of sympathy alighted in his eyes but then vanished in less than a second.

Just as he was preparing himself, Suzaku felt a hand reach out to touch his boot. As soon as it made contact, he was whisked away out of reality and into an ethereal world of thought and mind.

_**You don't want it to end here, do you?**_

Suzaku was taken aback by the voice in his mind._ What? How…_

_**You seem to have a desire to live on. **_

___This is… impossible…_

_**If I grant you power, will you go on? I will grant you a deal; in exchange for this power you must agree to make my one true with come true. Accept this contract and you accept its conditions. While living in a world of humans, you will live unlike any other. A different providence, a different time… a different life. The power of the king will condemn you to a life of solitude; are you prepared for this? **_

__Suzaku, wherever he actually was, was stunned. Grant a wish… not to die? What was the wish? Would it be worth it? Either way, it was all he had left.

_I accept that contract! _Suzaku stood ramrod straight, military style, and saluted.

All of a sudden, he was back in the damp tunnel. Nothing had changed, and he didn't feel any different. The general was still gazing at him, and he was still locked in place by his arms. Where was this "power of the king"? Wasn't it supposed to save him?

The general pulled the trigger. The bullet pierced his forehead, a true death shot. Suzaku crumpled in the arms of the soldiers, dead.

Apparently not.

**Me: All done! Phew, I finally got this up. Sorry if you were waiting, but I've been pretty busy. Rehearsals for the school play have been intense. Well… intense-ish. **

**Suzaku: You… shot me…**

**Me: Well, yes. But all in all, it came out quite nicely, don't you think?**

**Suzaku: No. I don't think.**

**Me: Well, whatever. You'll just have to wait for the next chapter. But I might be too busy with… well, let's say rehearsal (as opposed to rewatching R1) to update soon.**

**Suzaku: You don't need to rewatch it. You've seen it three times.**

**Me: Yes, but this time, one of my comments got 123 thumbs-ups! WOOP WOOP! Can't say that's ever happened before.**

**Well, I should probably sign off. Thanks for reading, PLEASE review! I love to read reviews, and I try to respond to most of them! Each reviewer receives an e-hug! Please? TWO e-hugs?**

**R&R?**


	3. Chapter Three

**Me: It's me again!**

**Suzaku: And, I suppose, me also.**

**Me: Don't be such a downer. Buck up!**

**Suzaku: You expect me to be happy? Last chapter, you shot me!**

**Me: Get over it. You're fine.**

**Suzaku: Still, no one likes to be shot.**

**Me: Yeah, whatever.**

**Now, onward and upward!**

The two soldiers dropped Suzaku onto the hard ground, where he lay lifeless. The general stood stoically at the center of the room, his gun still pointed at the spot that Suzaku had stood.

He lowered the gun, then turned away. "Leave the bodies," he ordered. "The orders were to bring back the girl alive. We'll pretend we haven't seen them, and change the data so it shows we hadn't responded to Kururugi's signal. It will appear as if they were shot by the terrorists."

"Yes, sir!" The soldiers replied in unison. The general began walking down the tunnel, and his squadron followed him in perfect formation.

As soon as their footsteps had stopped echoing down the damp tunnel, the girl stood up. Her green hair swung behind her as she surveyed the scene. Finally deciding that it was safe, she began walking the opposite direction from the soldiers.

"Wait," a voice croaked behind her. "Wait." It repeated, the tone a little stronger. Utterly surprised, she turned around slowly.

"It… it can't be. I didn't sense a code…" she said aloud. But yet, right before her eyes, Suzaku was sitting up. He looked and felt terrible, but was alive nevertheless. The girl crept over to him, and then knelt down. "What happened? Do you know how you're alive?"

"I don't know," he said. "But I saw something. A bird? It was glowing. It flashed, and then I woke up. But I was shot, wasn't I…" He felt his forehead and reached the wound. Inspecting it closely, he realized that it had sealed up and was no longer bleeding.

"Geass…" the girl said to herself, then stood up. "This certainly is new." She smirked, and then looked down at Suzaku. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"Considering I just came back from the dead, I think I deserve a few minutes." He said, then lay down and exhaled. "What happened?" he turned to the girl. "How am I alive?"

She sat down cross-legged on the ground. "Geass, the power of the kings. Yours apparently allows you to come back from the dead, but I'm not sure if that's exactly what it can do. We'll have to test it out before we know its powers and restrictions."

"I'll take it. Then, who are you?"

"You can call me C.C." She twirled a piece of her vibrant green hair in-between her fingers.

"I'm Suzaku Kururugi," he said, the sighed. "C.C. I don't think I've ever met anyone who ever went by their initials."

"I'm usually one of the first people to do things."

He took in her green hair and calm expression. "I can believe that." They sat for a moment. "What else?"

"What are you referring to?"

"What else can you tell me about yourself?"

She started intently at the wall, and then turned her gaze back to Suzaku. "There isn't much. I have no memories but the ones since I became a witch. I have no friends. I have no family. Every enemy or ally is swept away by the river of time."

"That's rough. I've lost all of my family too, but not in the way you did. Immortality must be a curse."

"Indeed, it is."

"What's it like? I seem to be immortal now as well."

It was obviously a touchy subject, as she stood up and turned away from him. After a moment, she turned back, her amber eyes cold and unemotional. "Are you ready yet?"

"I think so," said Suzaku, not wishing to force the mater. He propped himself up on one arm, and stood up, wincing. He then stood up straight, his emerald eyes shining with the questions that he held back.

"Let's go." She said brusquely.

The two set off in silence down the damp tunnel. The made quite the odd pair, an Honorary Britannian supposedly dead and a witch that should have died long ago.

Both not sure what to say or do, they let the silence deafen them.

** scenebreak-scenebreak-scenebreak-scenebreak-scenebreak-scenebreak**

Half an hour later, time found the pair aboveground in the ghetto.

"What- What happened?" Suzaku said quietly, his eyes grazing across the dead civilians. His gaze lingered for a moment on a small child, still clutching her doll, laying motionless on the ground. He broke away, tears in his eyes.

"There seems to have been a massacre." C.C. said nonchalantly, here eyes sweeping the scene. Her face was impassive, and as always, she allowed no emotion to be portrayed by her features or body language.

They stood motionless for several minutes. Finally, Suzaku stood up straight, his face impassive as well. "There's nothing we can do. Let's keep going." They moved on through the ghetto, sidestepping people lying on the ground. Again, they walked in silence, neither sure what to say.

C.C. was absorbed in her own thoughts. She pondered how it was possible that Suzaku was even alive. She was almost sure, no, she was positive, that he didn't have a code. But if he didn't, could his Geass possibly have brought him back to life? The power to resurrect oneself, that was a useful tool. But also a curse, as it made the bearer immortal. Could Suzaku bring other people back to life? It could be possible, but they would have to test its limits sometime.

Immersed in thought, she ran into Suzaku as he stopped abruptly. She followed his gaze to ten feet away. It lay on one body in particular, a tall teenager with slightly long black hair. Blood pooled around his chest, and it was obvious that he was dead.

Suzaku stood completely still, utterly shocked. "Lelouch? It can't be. But…" With that, he broke his stance and ran towards the boy.

Pushing back a lock of raven hair, he peered into the person's still open eyes. They were a deep amethyst gazing blankly at an unknown point far into the distance. "Oh, God. Oh, God, it really is Lelouch," said Suzaku. Tears welled in his emerald eyes, and he collapsed over Lelouch's body.

C.C. stood above him, observing quietly. She wondered how Suzaku had known this dead boy.

Then she remembered.

Seven years ago, two boys were scrambling up a hill. One had light brown curly hair, the other had straight black. The brown haired boy was obviously the more athletic, as he scampered up the hill without any effort. He, however, was not the one that intrigued her. It was the other one, the one having immense difficulty mounting the slope.

All at once, she had known that he would be the one to take her code. He would be the one to lift her burden. He would be the one that would be able to kill her for real. She observed the pair with rapt attention, trying to figure out the best way to approach him.

It happened all of a sudden: The brown haired boy pointed into the distance, and the raven-haired one squinted past his finger. They both started for a moment, and then ran off into the trees. "Wait!" C.C. had called out, but they hadn't heard her over the incoming aircraft. She followed them on foot, trying to catch up. But it was too late; she had lost them.

Ever since that day, C.C. had kept an eye out for this boy, her savior. She hadn't found him, hadn't found his trail, and hadn't caught a glimpse of him since.

And now he was laying right in front of her, dead. But there was one possible way to bring him back.

She knelt down beside Suzaku. "Suzaku," she said softly. "Suzaku," she said again, a little louder this time. He looked up, his face red from crying.

"What?" he replied meekly.

"You need to try something. There's a possible way that you can bring Lelouch back."

"Th-That's impossible." He said, his face innocent and unbelieving.

" Suzaku." She sat him up and squared his shoulders. "You just came back from the dead. Nothing is impossible. You need to try. If you can do it, you'll know."

He nodded. "I'll give it my best." He knelt down again, and laid both hands on Lelouch's body. Closing his eyes, Suzaku concentrated as hard as he could, trying to find any power that might be inside him.

He touched something, felt something foreign residing inside his body. He tugged on it with his mind, pulling it to the front of his concentration. All of a sudden his eyes flew open.

The right was emerald green, the left a deep red. A glowing bird shape resided in his left, giving his entire face a magical look. Determination spread across his features, and bird flapped and flew out of his eye.

Lelouch absorbed it without a sound. The bird and red color faded from Suzaku's eye. He and C.C. stared at Lelouch with rapt attention, waiting for something to happen. Suzaku quietly took his hands off him, and folded them neatly in his lap.

After a moment, Suzaku was about to stand up, his efforts wasted. Then came a cough. Suzaku turned back to Lelouch in time to see the bullet wound stitching itself up. Lelouch blinked once, twice, then surveyed the scene. His gaze landed on Suzaku, and deep violet eyes moved up and down the former soldier's body.

"Suzaku?"

**Finally, that's done! Sorry it's taken me FOREVER to update. But, well… some stuff happened. We'll leave it at that.**

**Suzaku left to get me a slushie. Lately, I've been craving those. Especially the Coke ones. Yum :) **

**Well, I've got nothing else to say. Might as well not waste your time.**

**R&R? **


	4. Chapter Four

**Me: First, I'd like to say thanks for all the reviews! I've never gotten so many on a story before. And thanks a bunch for all of the Story Alerts and Favorites too. It means a lot.**

**Suzaku: I never imagined that so many people would like it.**

**Me: Yeah, me either. That's why all of this makes me feel happy. Thank you so much, everyone!**

**I've got nothing else to say right now. I guess I should just start.**

7 Years Ago

"Suzaku?"

The sandy haired boy looked up from the grass he was fiddling with in his hands. "Yeah, Lelouch?" he replied.

"Suzaku, do you think you could ever hate me?" The dark haired boy looked up, his facial expression solemn and serious, his violet eyes piercing.

Suzaku was surprised, and then he smiled and laughed. "Lelouch, I could never hate you. You're my best friend."

A small smile appeared on Lelouch's face. "Thanks. You're my best friend too."

Suzaku flopped down into the grass, then turned to face Lelouch. "Why would you ask?"

Lelouch's expression grew dark again. He looked down at the ground and played with a piece of grass in his hands. After a moment, he looked back up at Suzaku. "I… I just wanted to know. If I did something really terrible and couldn't fix it, I'd want to know if you would still be with me. If you would understand."

Suzaku smiled again. "I would stand by you no matter what."

Lelouch looked uncertain. "Do you promise?"

"Yes, I promise," replied Suzaku, a tinge of laughter in his voice. He always believed that his friend was much too serious on such matters, or any matter, to be forthright.

He reached out his pinky, and Lelouch took it and grasped it with all of his might.

Present Day

"Suzaku?"

Lelouch's voice rang loud and clear across the silent section of the ghetto. Tears welled in Suzaku's eyes, and he offered out his hand for Lelouch. Lelouch took it uncertainly, and pulled himself up with a grimace.

Violet eyes met emerald green. Suzaku smiled, and after a moment, so did Lelouch. "Suzaku. It really is you."

Suzaku threw his arms around Lelouch. Lelouch squirmed awkwardly for a moment, then relaxed and returned the embrace. As they drew apart, Suzaku wiped away a tear form his eye. "Lelouch, I can't believe that you're alive."

Lelouch realized it for himself for the first time. He pulled up his arms like a marionette and inspected his chest wound. He saw the blood, felt it dry on his shirt, and lifted it up. The area around where the bullet had entered was clean and unblemished. He lowered his shirt and his arms, and then started at Suzaku.

"How?"

All of a sudden, C.C. appeared from the shadows. "Geass," she said coolly. "The power of the kings. Suzaku possesses the power to resurrect not only other people, but himself as well."

Lelouch glanced at C.C. as she spoke, and then returned his gaze to Suzaku. "You brought me back to life?"

Suzaku nodded. "I'm not quite sure how, but somehow, I brought you back from the dead."

Lelouch shook his head. "I'm not sure how I can ever repay you. I can't imagine what would have happened to Nunnally if I died."

Suzaku smiled. "Nunnally. How is she?"

"Well. She's still in a wheelchair, and still can't see, but she's adjusted nicely to school life."

"That's good," said Suzaku. "I hope that I'll be able to see her again one day."

That's when Lelouch realized that Suzaku was in an army uniform. He scanned him up and down, evaluating the fact. Finally, he met Suzaku's eyes again. "You joined the army."

Suzaku nodded. "There was nowhere left for me to go. Everyone from my past had vanished, and after we split apart, it was my only option."

Lelouch had no response. The pair stood there in awkward silence, finally taking in the recent developments. Both had become generally oblivious to C.C. who had been listening to their conversation with diluted interest. Finally she turned to Lelouch.

"Lelouch," she said aloud. He turned to her, surprised. Suzaku looked up as well, equally as surprised as Lelouch.

"Yes?" Lelouch said, seeming to test the water. He had already deduced that there was something quite different about this girl, something that he wasn't sure he wanted to encounter.

She faced him full on. "I need to give something to you."

_What could she possibly want to give to him?_ Thought Suzaku. But he watched as C.C. reached out her hand to rest it on Lelouch's shoulder. He had no time to resist, and jumped for a moment, then stood completely still. Both of their eyes were closed shut tightly, and their mouths moved and made words, but no sound was produced. Suzaku, not wanting to disturb the delicate connection, took a step back. He observed, quietly taking in the abnormal scene.

After a moment Lelouch opened his eyes suddenly and broke apart from C.C. He took a step back, and as Suzaku scrutinized his face, he could see a red bird slowly melting into his violet eye.

Lelouch stared C.C. down. "What just happened?" he said, his voice cold. "What did you just do to me?"

She put on her nonchalant attitude again. "I gave you the same power that I gave Suzaku, Geass."

"I can bring people back from the dead?"

She twirled a lock of hair. "Not necessarily. Your Geass could manifest itself in you many different ways."

He pondered this for a moment, and then spoke again. "What were you saying about a contract?"

"In exchange for the power that I have given you, you now must grant my one true wish. You and Suzaku now share the same responsibility, but since you are the latest recipient, the duty defaults to you."

"Great," muttered Lelouch. "Now, not only do I have to keep myself and my sister sheltered from the Empire, eventually defeating it, I have to fulfill a contract with a girl who can't die."

"Did you ever consider the possibility that this power could help you in your other two duties?"

"I wasn't really thinking about it, no."

"Well, think about it."

Lelouch turned to Suzaku. "Is she always like this?"

"I'm not sure," Suzaku replied. "I've only known her for about an hour."

C.C. smirked. "And now you're stuck with me for the rest of your lives, however long that turns out to be."

C.C. was apparently the only one who found this humorous, as both boys loudly exhaled at the mention of such a prospect.

They stood silently for a moment, when Suzaku finally said, "We should probably get moving. There's no telling when we could run into another soldier." He thought for a moment. "If I had my helmet I could see where everyone was. But I left it in the subway tunnel…"

The trio walked on, with Suzaku scanning the setting for any sign of a soldier he could salvage a helmet from. Finally, he spotted a lone patrol running out of a building. Suzaku turned to Lelouch and C.C. "Wait here."

He ran after the patrol, and when the man stopped, he crept up to him silently. Unbeknownst to the soldier, Suzaku stood right behind him until in a flash of movement, he stole the soldier's gun and had rammed him in a chink in his armor conveniently located over the solar plexus. The soldier fell to his knees, gasping for breath. Before the man could see his face, Suzaku took his helmet and rammed it onto his head. He took the gun, and put it up to the soldier's head.

He held his finger on the trigger, preparing himself to pull it. He swallowed deeply, and twitched his finger experimentally. The man below him pleaded steadfastidly for his life. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, Lelouch yelled, "Wait!"

Suzaku looked up, surprised. Lelouch walked coolly up the other soldier, and kneeled down so they were at the same eye level. "Lelouch Vi Britannia commands you," he began, the Geass sigil beginning to burn in his left eye as he thought for a moment, "Forget us. Take off your armor and hide until the fighting is over. You will no longer serve as a Britannian soldier." The sigil flared in his eye, flapped once, and flew into the soldier's.

The man sat up. "At once, your majesty." With that, he took off his armor, leaving it lying in the street. He scampered off into an alley wearing only the thin jumpsuit the soldiers wore under their protective shell.

"Well," C.C. smirked. "At least now we know what your Geass can do."

Lelouch stood up as the sigil faded from his eye, returning it to its usual deep amethyst color. He dusted off the knees of his school uniform, soiled from the dusty ground. "It would seem," he began, smiling ever so slightly, "That I posses the power of absolute control."

"Fitting," Suzaku mumbled. "As if he didn't have that already."

"You're lucky, Suzaku, that I will take that as a compliment."

Suzaku grinned, feeling a bit nostalgic. In seven years, Lelouch's personality hadn't changed a single bit, from his slightly sarcastic attitude to his determination to stick to something he was working towards like it was flypaper.

Inside his helmet, Suzaku signed out as the soldier, whose name turned out to be Akahana Ochi. Navigating the easy-to-use software with several voice commands and his army ID, he signed into the system as himself. _Welcome, Soldier four-oh-four_, a semi-robotic female voice spoke through the helmet. Suzaku didn't acknowledge the greeting, instead navigating to the map showing both sides forces.

He began speaking to his small audience while focusing and interpreting the screen before him. "The terrorists have moved into hiding. They must've had at least one Knightmare, a couple of Sutherlands were taken out near the entrance to the ghetto."

"You don't need a Knightmare to take another out one," muttered Lelouch.

Suzaku paused for a moment, trying to contemplate how Lelouch knew this and in turn what he had been up to the past few years. After several seconds, he shook his head, clearing away the thoughts and focusing on what was on hand.

"Right now, the Britannians have sent out their forces patrolling the streets, searching for terrorists." He frowned, and zoomed in on their section of the ghetto. "In fact…"

"Hide!"

All in one instant, a patrol turned the corner onto the street, it's gun cocked and ready. Suzaku and C.C. dived for a nearby alley, but Lelouch, ailed by his unfit and clumsy body, tripped on his own foot and fell flat onto the ground.

Suzaku winced, hoping that the patrol hadn't seen him. But the Sutherland stopped in its tracks and a voice began emanating from the Knightmare.

"Get up," a female voice echoed. "And put your hands above your head."

Lelouch hesitantly obliged. "Who are you?" the voice spoke again. "What's a Britannian student doing in the ghetto?"

Lelouch stepped forward, and began speaking, a small, fatal smirk growing on his mischievous face. "My name is Allen Spacer, and my father is a duke. My ID card is in my breast pocket, and after you verify it I will request your protection."

The voice was silent for a moment, then a mechanical hiss escaped from the device and the hatch opened. An athletic woman slid down on a cable, her silvery ponytail swinging slightly as she pulled out her gun and aimed it at Lelouch. "Keep your arms up," she said sternly. "I'll retrieve your ID."

It took all of Lelouch's self-restraint to keep himself from grinning; the situation was playing out just as he had predicted. Another plan perfectly executed. Though, he contemplated, would it count as a plan if he thought of it in less than ten seconds? No, he decided. To be a plan, it would have needed to have gone through a first draft, a stage of heavy revision, and then to a final product.

As the pilot approached him, he concentrated on her face, waiting until she stepped out of the shadow of the monstrous Knightmare and into the daylight. Violet eyes met a steely hazel, and in a quick moment, the now recognizable sigil reappeared in the young Britannian's eye.

He stared in the pilot's eyes, and began speaking. "Hand over your Knightmare," he said as he lowered his arms. "And stay here until we are gone."

With a glazed look on her face, she nodded. She tossed the ignition key over to Lelouch, and said, "The activation code is X42YZ83."

Lelouch grinned deceptively as he deftly caught the key. He turned to Suzaku and C.C. "Well?" He spoke, holding his hands out in an Look-What-I've-Done manner.

Suzaku shook his head. "You scare me. You really do."

"That, my friend, is the intended effect."

C.C, faced Lelouch. "Well?"

"Well, as in what?"

"Well, as in 'What are you going to do with a Sutherland now that you've recently acquired one?'"

The corner of his mouth quirked. "Why, I'm going to be helping, of course."

Suzaku looked up suddenly, surprised. "Helping?"

"I think the Japanese deserve some help," explained Lelouch. "I'm here to provide it."

"You're insane."

"Confident, not insane."

"It's the same difference," said C.C.

Suddenly, something rang in Suzaku's ear. "Huh?" he mumbled. An image appeared in his helmet screen, informing him that he was being paged. Quickly, answered it.

_"Is this Suzaku Kururugi?" _A voice echoed through the helmet.

Suzaku jumped at the sound, the voice was quite unique, intriguing yet slightly annoying at the same time. Nevertheless, he answered, "Yes, sir," with the utmost confidence.

_"Well, Kururugi," _replied the voice. _"I've got something waiting for you here, and I think you'll like it."_

"Like it?" Answered Suzaku, utterly surprised.

_"Yes, it's a project of mine, a special Knightmare. I'd like you to be the one to test it on the field."_

Suzaku was taken aback. "Test it? But the higher-ups would never let an Eleven pilot a Knightmare Frame."

_"Yes, well, given the circumstances I believe that they will make an exception."_

"Erm… Yes, sir. Where would you like me to report to?"

_"The temporary base. And hurry, the Lancelot is waiting for you."_

With that, the call ended. Suzaku stood stationary for a moment, and then took off his helmet. Both Lelouch and C.C. were staring at him, their expressions confused and muddled.

Suzaku answered the unspoken question. "They want me to pilot a Knightmare. Something called the Lancelot."

**Me: YES! YES, YES, YES! It's finally done!**

**Suzaku: After nearly a month of laboring over the computer…**

**Me: And more than several frustrated hours writing and deleting paragraphs at a time…**

**Suzaku: She finally managed to post it.**

**Me: I'm sorry so much for the wait. There's just been so much stuff going on, and I've been having major writer's block. In reality, I've rewritten the entire last half of this chapter several times.**

**Suzaku: Well, at least now you'll stop complaining about it.  
Me: Yeah, you're probably right. **

**Oh, and just to clear something up, I wasn't going for anything SuzuXLulu in the beginning. I realized after proofreading this that it might come off that way. **

**I guess that's it. Thank you so much for reading this, I've put a lot of work into it!**

**R&R?**

**P.S. Does anyone know if there's any sort of tutorial online on how to make Lelouch's Zero mask? I have absolutely no artistic talent, and I've been wanting to try and make one. Thanks!**


	5. Chapter Five

Lelouch was gaping at Suzaku with the recent development. "A… Knightmare Frame? They'd allow that?"

Suzaku nodded his head. "Apparently. They want me to report to the front line immediately."

Lelouch shook his head. "Well, I suppose we'll be opposing each other then."

Suzaku suddenly looked up, a fire in his eyes. "No. I can't help them after this." He gestured to the several of the thousands of dead Elevens lying in the street. "I won't fight for a nation that will readily kill scores of people just for their personal gain. I'll pilot this 'Lancelot', but it won't help them do anything. I won't help them win their war."

Lelouch gazed at his friend. Suzaku was loyal to a fault, and never gave up on something. He was incapable on recognizing a lost cause, but in seven years he had matured, learned to see the world. A small smile quirked on the raven-haired boy's lips. "Well, in that case I think we can work something out."

Suzaku was confused. "Work something out?"

"I'm going to be guiding the terrorists. You're going to be fighting them."

"Didn't I just mention that I wouldn't be fighting?" Suzaku sighed.

"Change of plans," Lelouch said with the sort of air that meant he was most definitely planning something. "You're going to prove yourself to them, and gain their trust. No doubt if you perform well today, they'll want to use you again."

Suzaku opened his mouth to protest, but Lelouch cut him off. "Don't worry, I'll be fighting back. I'm going to take command of the terrorist cell that's been causing all of this trouble, hopefully be able to gain a victory of sorts. If my aiding the terrorists lasts longer than this one day, which I do believe it will, I'd like you to remain with the Britannians and aide me as well. Things become infinetely easier if there's a man on the inside."

"You mean… work as a double agent?"

Lelouch nodded. "Precisely. The Britannians would be at a steep disadvantage with the opposing council having knowledge oftheir plans. Would you be willing to do this?"

Suzaku swallowed. It was now or never. "Yes."

Lelouch searched around the ground, and picked up an empty soup can, tearing off the wrapper. He scribbled something on it with a pen he pulled from his breast pocket and held it out to Suzaku.

"It's my phone number," he explained. "If we both make it out after this is done, call me."

Suzaku nodded and took the slip of paper. "Good luck, Lelouch." He said, and then ran off into the distance.

After the speck that was Suzaku's running form was no longer visible, Lelouch turned to C.C. "I have several questions for you, mostly pertaining to the past half hour. Obviously, there's not much time for that now."

She shot him a sideways glance. "Well, what are you going to do?"

He tore another piece of paper off of the soup can. After scribbling some information on it, he handed it to her. "This is my address. I live at Ashford Academy in the settlement. Go there, and stay until I come back."

A small smile crept onto her lips. "Usually, I don't like to comply to orders. You, however, intrigue me. I'll meet you there."

With that, she set off as well but with much less energy and virve than Suzaku had. She walked calmly through the decrepit and bloodstained ghetto with seemingly no qualms to the dead bodies strewn in the street.

Lelouch didn't wait to watch her go. Instead, he pulled out the Knightmare key and glanced at it briefly. After a moment, he put it back into his breast pocket and strode over to the Knightmare. "Well," he mused aloud. "This seems like as good of an occasion as ever to learn how to pilot a Knightmare frame."

* * *

Kallen Kozuki sat in the cockpit of her stolen Knightmare Frame, drinking from a bottle of water and resting her feet on the ceiling. She had finally found an alley to take a brief respite from the fighting and the Britannian Sutherlands. After piloting the Knightmare off the overpass and through the ghetto, she had been throwing off Sutherlands left and right, in the process losing her Knightmare's left arm. As she was relaxing, a voice crackled through her communication device, making her jump in the seat. "Kallen? Kallen, can you hear me?"

She reached down to the bottom of the cockpit with her hand, groping for the switch to turn on her microphone. Finally reaching it, Kallen pulled up her hand only to find a sticky grey substance coating the back. With a disgusted expression on her face, she wiped it off onto the wall of the interior. No matter how tough she may have been in combat, Kallen was still a person, and normally, most people don't generally enjoy foreign substances residing on their hands.

Finally, she spoke. "Ohgi? Is that you?"

"Yeah." His voice rattled through the speaker. "You made it out okay?"

She took another drink of water. "Mmmhmm. Lost an arm on the Glasglow, but it all came out fine."

"Nagata made it underground?"

"I think so," she replied. "Not really sure, though. We got split up on the overpass. I had this stupid overconfident Sutherland following me all through the ghetto, trying to blow me up."

"Wasn't one of ours, was it?"

She stared at the communicator, shaking her head at the stupidity of the question. God, she missed Naoto. "Well, Ohgi, we only have one Knightmare, which is a _Glasglow._ I'm currently in it, and anyways, who would be idiotic enough to try and kill me if we're working together?"

At the same they came to the same realization. "…Tamaki."

"I heard that! I'm not that stupid!" A tinny voice came through the speaker, sounding distant and detached.

"He has a thing for you, you know." Ohgi whispered after a pause.

"Shut up. He has a thing for every girl he sees that has hair on her head." Kallen replied.

"Well, shave your head then." He suggested innocently.

She snorted. "Fat chance."

* * *

Kaname Ohgi sat slumped against a building long since crumbled by the force of time and Britannian assault. He held his head in his hands, slowly shaking it back and forth. _We've gotten into more than we can handle this time, _he thought. Several feet away from him, his fellow resistance member and tentative friend Shinichiro Tamaki kneeled on the hard ground, holding a bazooka like gun in his hands on the ready just in case any Knightmares happened to pass.

"Man," Tamaki began, sounding much cockier than he should have, just like always. "I can't wait until one of those damn Britannians drives past us. I'm going to blast him into next week!"

_I hardly believe that's possible, Tamaki, _Ohgi voiced in his head. _If one of those drives past us, we're dead._

The two remained quiet for some time, just the rustling of their fidgety movements and the distant sounds of gunfire breaking the silence. Ohgi still had his doubts about this mission, seeing as it was the first one that they'd had to pull off without Naoto guiding them. Kallen's older brother had laid out all of the plans, only to be found out and quietly executed by the Britannian military.

Kallen had insisted on joining their cell, making the choice between whether she would be allowed in _not an option_. Naoto had always been the one to hold her back, trying to protect his little sister from the real world. Still, Ohgi had had to face the facts, because the young half-Britannian girl was the best Knightmare pilot their resistance group had ever seen.

"DAMMIT!" Kallen's voice rattled through the speaker, startling Ohgi so much that he jumped in the dust and hit his head on an overhead rafter extending out of the building he was leaning against. Speaking of said half-Britannian girl…

Oghi scrambled for the radio and shoved his finger into the button. "Kallen?" he forcibly inquired, trying to keep calm.

"They found me. I've got to get on the move, but this stupid Glasglow…" He could hear her fist slamming against the control panel as if it would help the matter at all.

Inside the machine, Kallen angrily thumbed the track ball, rolling it as fast as it possibly would trying vigorously to get machine going. She flipped switches, pushed buttons, anything that may have helped get her out.

Just as she felt the Glasglow beginning to respond to her touch, she saw the first slash harken slice through the air. Her eyes widened as she saw that the military had equipped their Sutherlands with new models, which appeared to be much more aerodynamic and, "tricked out", per se. She spotted more than one gadget melded into the device, and wasn't in the mood to stay and figure out exactly what they did.

With a flick of her thumb, she propelled herself forward and through the alleyway, her landspinners squealing against the rough pavement and creating enough traction to get her going. She swerved through the ghetto, surprised and slightly alarmed at the lack of citizens she had to avoid. She had lived with Naoto in the Shinjuku ghetto half of her life, and knew the landscape better than she knew her thumb. Years of prowling the streets hiding from her stepmother's eye had made her not only streetwise, but also pretty adept at navigating as well.

When she had finally plowed through the populated section of the ghetto, hoping that she hadn't accidentally run over an innocent Japanese pedestrian, she plotted a route through the unpopulated ruins that may allow her to hide and cool down for a little bit. She could tell that the Britannian military was still pursuing her due to the rain of gunfire and the constant slash harkens pummeling the Glasglow. Thankfully, the one advantage that the Sutherlands had lost in their transfer to be used in Anti-Knightmare combat was that the old Glasglows were pretty much indestructible it you hit them straight on. Of course, they could only withstand so much damage as any machine could, but unless you hit a sweet spot in its armor or ripped it apart in close combat, it would take nothing short of a Sakuradite bomb to make it explode.

Expertly dodging bullets and buildings alike, Kallen made her way through the ruins with ease. She was in her element, but her state was rapidly declining. Even though the Glasglow was tougher, the Sutherlands were faster. Her home advantage wouldn't mean anything if the Sutherlands were going ten miles-per-hour faster than her.

After a particularly nerve wracking shudder from the machine, she heard a crackle over the intercom. _Ohgi! _She swore. _I thought he would know better than to distract me in this kind of a situation. _

Still, she responded with a snarled, "What?"

"Do you want to win?" A cool voice spoke.

She nearly stopped the Glasglow in its tracks, but recovered from her shock in a nanosecond. "Who the hell are you?"

"You may call me…" It paused. "Well, I don't think I can give that out just yet."

"Well, how in the world am I supposed to trust you?" She voiced while leaping the knightmare over part of a torn apart convenience store.

The voice chuckled. "Because right now, it's the only choice that you have."

**Okay, I'm not going to add a big A/N here. Still though, I'm so happy that everyone likes this story, and I'm still getting e-mails pertaining to story alerts and favorites. Oh, and if you like my story, I would love it if you could tell me what you like about it. It let's me know what I'm doing right with this.**

**Also, I apologize that this isn't all too amazing. I've been working on this chapter for around six weeks now, and decided that enough was enough and I had to just put it up already. So, I apologize if this isn't very good because I was having so much trouble with it.**

**Thanks! R&R?**

**Critiques?**


	6. Chapter Six

Private Suzaku Kururugi was overwhelmed.

"Kami-sama," he breathed, reverting back to Japanese as he often did when he was either A. Stressed or B. Utterly and completely confused.

He shook his head, realizing that he was most likely being recorded and his situation was tentative as is. He doubted that the superiors who had allowed him to surpass the racial boundaries and pilot the Knightmare Frame he was currently inside would appreciate him speaking a number language. He was almost positive that the two people he had just met (was it Lloyd and Cici? No, Lloyd and Cécile.) wouldn't care, as all Lloyd had ever referred to in the ten minutes that Suzaku had interacted with him was his "baby", the _Lancelot_, and Cécile didn't seem the type to dwell on race or status, much less language.

Still though, he felt that his slip was well deserved. The _Lancelot_ was the first and only prototype 7th generation Knightmare Frame, making it much more advanced than the Sutherlands Suzaku had practiced piloting on the simulator. He knew that he was way out of his league; yes, he had high scores on the simulator, but that was because (he was fairly sure) that he had read through the manual at least seven times until the date that his Basic group had been tested. Although his score was the highest in his company, his race and status hadn't allowed him to join the Knightmare Corps. There were no official rules against it, no, but it was just generally accepted that no one but pure-blooded Britannians would ever be admitted. If you broke the status quo, you were considered just as expendable as a number.

That was why, even though he was sure he was going to mess something up, Suzaku was happy to be piloting and advanced Knightmare Frame. The circumstances weren't optimal, and it was going to be hard to fool the Britannian army, but he still enjoyed the feeling of his gloved hands flexing around the controls. He liked the feeling of power, and right now he could feel it coursing through his bloodstream and settling itself into his mind. He controlled this battle now, and he knew that he could take out any number of enemy (well, technically friendly) Sutherlands in less than an instant. In fact, that was what was expected. He just had to grit his teeth and suffer through it, appeasing both sides at the exact same time.

Promises, promises.

"Suzaku? Are you and my _Lancelot _acquainted with each other yet?" A voice pierced cleanly through the brand new speakers installed in the cockpit.

Suzaku nearly jumped in his seat. "L-Lloyd? I, um… I mean, yes, I think so." _I don't even know what half of these buttons do._

He heard clapping on the other end of the line. "Well, good! Why don't we get you out there, now?"

"Now?"

"Yes, now!"

Suzaku took in a deep breath. He had to get this over with. In his mind, he ran over his plan: Destroy the Sutherlands, but only enough so that the pilot was still safe and could eject. Fool the Britannians into thinking that he was softhearted (which, in actuality, he was, but only a little bit, or so he liked to think) and that he was nervous since it was his first time on the battlefield.

No, not the first time. First time in a _giant fighting robot._

Suzaku flexed his hands around the main controls. "We're going to have to wait a little bit, sir. We're nearly ready to launch though. The core temperature is at two hundred seventeen degrees celcius."

"Oh, I'm so excited! Just don't break my baby." Lloyd's voice pierced through the speaker. "I want her back in one piece."

"Lloyd!" A loud _thwack_ echoed in the cabin. Suzaku almost smiled at the comical situation that he assumed was taking place on the other end of the line.

"Okay, okay, fine. Come back in one piece as well, I suppose. We'd end up being the ones having to clean you up afterwards, and I don't want to go to that trouble."

"_Lloyd!" _Another _thwack_, and some rustling. "Suzaku," Cécile's voice came through the speaker. "Since the Lancelot is only a prototype, the ejection system hasn't been installed yet. You need to play it safe. As soon as you feel you're in too deep, pull out. You could become seriously injured, or worse."

"And imagine what would happen to the Lancelot if you were minced meat!"

Cécile sighed, the exhalation rattling through the speakers. She didn't even bother to correct her superior. "Just be careful. You may be a valuable asset to us in the future."

_A valuable asset._ Suzaku swallowed. Lelouch had said the same thing to him not an hour ago. Could he go through with this? He hated the Darwinistic principles of the army, of Britannia, but there were still good people that he was deceiving. Cécile, for example, possibly even Lloyd, although he wasn't quite sure if the liked the slightly eccentric scientist quite yet.

His thoughts were interrupted by said scientist. "Well, Suzkau, are we ready yet?"

_Now or never. I have to do this. I need to do this. _He checked the core temperature."Ready to launch, sir."

All at once, the hatch in front of him opened and the Knightmare began humming up to full power. He took one last deep breath, steadying himself.

"Lancelot, launch!"

**INSERT BREAK**

_Because right now, it's the only choice you have. _

Then man's voice still echoed in her mind as Kallen processed his statement. "Give me a minute," she had spoken, and turned her efforts into piloting the Glasglow and deciding whether this mysterious man was worth it. Was he? Or, rather, was he going to lead them to succed? She didn't know if it was even possible in their current situation. In fact, it seemed downright _impossible_.

Who could he be, anyway? Chances were that he had probably gotten onto her radio channel by way of luck, and he was a Britannian soldier trying to capture her and then kill her in the most tortuous way possible.

Her thoughts were jarred when a slash harken hit the Glaglow with sufficient enough force that it actually jostled the cockpit more than it was with the usual hit. _Damn, _Kallen thought. She knew that it must've hit somewhere important. Her suspicions were confirmed when, with a loud _crunch_, her right arm fell off.

All of her hopes sank to the pit of her stomach. There was no way she could hold the Sutherlands off with only one arm. It was physically impossible, no matter who the pilot was. She wasn't going to make it out of here alive, unless… Should she do it? She swallowed. She would. It was the only choice left for her.

"Okay, tell me what do to."

**Shortest. Chapter. Ever. **

**I'm sorry I haven't updated this in like, five months. And I'm sorry that this chapter is so incredibly short. It's like, a midget chapter. (Ed: WHO'RE YOU CALLING A MIDGET?) Oh wait, wrong anime… **

**I don't know when I'm going to get to update this again. It may be another five month or more break. I'm trying to concentrate on another of my stories, ****Fowl Meets Ride, ****because it's the most popular. I just wanted to update this, because I didn't want everyone to think I just forgot about it. **

**But anyways, I hope you liked the chapter, miniscule as it was.**


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